Blueberry Bagels

There are already three great bagel recipes on this site, so you might be wondering why I need a fourth. The truth is, I don’t. Between the plain, whole wheat and cinnamon raisin bagels, I’ve already covered the bases. If I wanted a blueberry bagel, I could easily have adapted one of those existing recipes to make it work.

But here’s the catch. All of the recipes I’ve made so far call for an overnight rest period in the refrigerator. While in some ways that’s perfect – the bagels are ready to be boiled and baked in the morning – other times you might prefer a recipe you can make from start to finish in one day. That’s exactly what this recipe delivers, and it’s why I decided to try it.

Also, I made these bagels back in January, right around the time I start really missing fresh summer berries so blueberry anything sounded awesome Of course fresh blueberries aren’t used here (that would be a giant disaster); the recipe actually suggested a product I’ve never used before – freeze dried blueberries. I grabbed mine at Trader Joe’s, but if you’d can’t find them, I’m sure dried blueberries would work just as well. The freeze dried just give the dough a fun streaky blue appearance (which I just now realized is really hard to see in my photos). I nibbled on a few too many blueberries before making these (oops!) so I only used about 2/3 cup rather than the full 1 cup called for so that’s why my blueberry to bagel ratio is lacking a bit.

You can never go wrong with homemade bagels and these were no exception, that amazing chewy texture just can’t be beat! I loved the little bits of blueberry in each bite of these. One of my favorite things about making bagels is that they freeze extremely well so you can stash them away for a really quick, super easy breakfast on a lazy weekend morning! Because this recipe skips the overnight rest/rise in the fridge, the flavor wasn’t quite as strong and developed as some of the other recipes I’ve made, but they were still delicious. If you need bagels and you need them fast, these will definitely do the trick

In a large measuring cup, combine the yeast with the sugar and water. Let sit for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture is foamy. Meanwhile, combine the flour, salt, cinnamon and lemon zest in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. With the mixer on low, gradually add the yeast mixture (you may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice to get everything incorporated). Depending on the conditions in your kitchen you may need to add a little more water to bring the dough together. Once the dough comes together, continue kneading on low speed until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes (you may want to do some or all of the kneading by hand, it’s a workout for your mixer). Turn the dough out onto your work surface and knead in the blueberries by hand until evenly distributed. Spray a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray then add the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for about 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Once risen, gently press the dough down to de-gas, then allow it to rest for 10 minutes. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces – I used my scale to weigh the dough and then figure out how big each piece should be, but you can definitely eyeball it. Working with one piece of dough at a time, shape it into a ball and then use your fingers to poke a hole in the middle. Gently stretch the dough until the hole is about 2 inches big. Place the bagel on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough. Cover the baking sheet lightly with plastic and let the bagels rise for about 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. When the bagels are ready, lower two or three at a time into the water. Boil for 1 minute then flip to the other side and boil for 1 additional minute. Using a slotted spoon or spider strainer, remove the bagels from the pot letting the water drain. Transfer to the second baking sheet you prepared. Continue until you’ve boiled all of the bagels. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the bagels are golden brown. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and allow the bagels to cool.

Makes 8 large bagels

22 Responses to "Blueberry Bagels"

Your site makes me so hungry! haha, I’ve never tried a blueberry bagel, but these look lovely and I love blueberries so I’ll be giving them a try soon! Also love your other bagel recipes as well, you can never have too many!

You know- I was just thinking of making blueberry bagels because I have a very expensive tin of dried blueberries left over from a Milk Bar project waiting to be used! (I could probably sub those right?)